Letters
Keep Woods' Jewel
Huntington Woods is home to
the oldest consistently Jewish
community in Michigan. Jewish
families, whether staying for a
lifetime or just starting out, have
long been embraced by the com-
munity that exists in Huntington
Woods. Among the many things
creating the unique character of
the "Woods" is the green space
and recreation provided by its
jewel, the Rackham Golf Course
("Digging Tr): Aug. 3, page 23).
Federation's recent 2005
Jewish Population Study made
it clear the Jewish population
in Michigan's southeast region
is declining: This is especially
true for our young adults. Why
would anyone in the Jewish com-
munity want to risk changing
the character of a town that has
been so successful over the years
in providing a neighborhood for
us? The city leaders and most
residents believe that developing
Rackham would not be good for
the Woods. What's not good for
the Woods may also not be good
for our Jewish community.
Most likely, the developers
have only approached this proj-
ect from a business perspective;
thinking in terms of residential
units and not considered the
social impact on "community."
I hope they can pause for a
moment and consider the long-
term impact to Jewish families
and their neighborhoods. They
would be true mentshen by using
their knowledge and connections
to support the Woods — and
help keep the city's jewel and our
stable Jewish neighborhood just
as it is.
Barbara Berger White
Huntington Woods
Response Heartening
The Jewish Gay Network of
Michigan (www.jgnmi.org )
ensures that gay and lesbian
members of our community
feel welcome and included.
It was heartening to see
the positive responses to
the IN same-sex union
announcement in July. Thank
you to the many people who
understood that we are all cre-
ated b'tzelem elohim [in the
image of God].
Iraq was the
strong factor
in the elec-
tion. Botched
American poli-
cy has strength-
ened Iran and
Hezbollah and
Sen. Lieberman
undermined
Israel. The false
premise that only President Bush
supports Israel refutes fact. Scary
false headlines won't work this
time.
Aiding JNF
Thank you for running the
Jewish National Fund article
written by Amanda Sue Niskar,
a Detroit-area native who made
aliyah last September, that
appeared in the Jewish News
("Bound By A Land And People
April 27, page 23).
We appreciate Amanda Sue for
the positive PR and we are grate-
ful to you for printing it. The more
JNF exposure the better, especially
now when we urgently need help
to restore the Jewish National
Fund's infrastructure, to replenish
the forests that were devastated
and to rebuild the security roads
that were demolished.
JNF is the caretake'r of the land
of Israel — the only organization
that can rebuild Israel; which is
why your coverage is so impor-
tant.
also disappointed with his sur-
face treatment of the issue.
Instead of focusing on the
technicalities, such as who is and
who is not Jewish, he could con-
sider the deeper issues at stake:
the importance of Jewish people
speaking out against the injus-
tice and violence perpetrated
by the State of Israel against the
Palestinian people.
My mother is a survivor of the
Holocaust, and we have recently
made three trips to Poland togeth-
er to search for traces of our fam-
ily. During those trips, I came to
realize that speaking out against
the racism that poisons my people
in the present is integral to what I
must do to honor and remember
my ancestors.
It does no good for the future of
the Jewish people if we are willing
to accept racism and injustice just
because it is committed against
another people. We are still too
close to our own tragic past to
walk blindly into a future where
we are the victimizers.
It is groups like the Jewish
Voice for Peace that provide
alternatives to the image of Jews
as only "heavily armed soldiers
and bulldozer operators." Instead,
we can honestly see ourselves as
we should be: human beings who
care about the plight of other
human beings, citizens of the
world, who are participating in
creating a more just and peaceful
world for all people.
Hannan Lis
Simone Masson
JNF Michigan Region president
Oakland, Calif.
Judy Lewis, president
Judith Martin
Jewish Gay Network of Michigan
Southfield
Bloomfield To wnship
More Sponsors
I want to acknowledge the miss-
ing sponsors of the Lt. Gen.
Moshe Ya'alon speech covered
in the Jewish News ("The Real
War," Aug. 10, page 16).
Those missing sponsors from
the article are: the Greater Detroit
Chapter of Hadassah, Jewish
Community Council, B'nai B'rith
Great Lakes Region, Temple
Beth El, Temple Shir Shalom and
StandWithUs-Michigan. Those
acknowledged in the article
were the Zionist Organization of
America, the Jewish Community
Center and Aish HaTorah.
Thanks to all the sponsors who
helped make the event a success.
Mark Y. Segel
Southfield
Democracy In Action
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman was
defeated in Connecticut by the
electorate of that state. Isn't that
how candidates should be cho-
sen? Democratic leaders, includ-
ing President Clinton, went there
to tout for him, but Lieberman's
star had begun to wane and had
fallen from 80 percent in 2000 to
51 percent in July 2003.
Opposition to the war in
Farmington Hills
Surface Treatment
I appreciate that JN Columnist
Harry Kirsbaum took the time
to attend the Jewish Voices for
Peace-Detroit chapter opening
event and write about it ("Say No
More Aug. 24, page 9). But I am
IlLEMET 'cha Don't Know
According to some Jewish commentaries, which two biblical monsters
will battle each other at the end of time?
.
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August 31 . 2006
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Bridge Champion
Your profile of bridge cham-
pion Rick Kaye ("Memorable
Character," Aug. 24, page 34) was
outstanding. However, you did
not mention his most notable
attribute at the card table — his
ethics are impeccable! On more
than one occasion, he has report-
ed scoring errors, which have
reduced his final standing.
Ron Horwitz
Farmington Hills
Rick Kaye
Ballot Politics
I hope those who are still unde-
cided about the Michigan Civil
Rights Initiative, which would
amend the state Constitution to
end racial and gender prefer-
ences in college admissions and
government hiring and contract-
ing, will give some thought to the
fact that the best the opposition
has to offer is to try to keep the
initiative off the ballot.
Glynette Wolk
Farmington Hills
Northville Leader
I thoroughly enjoyed read-
ing your Special Report titled
"Outside the Core" (Aug. 17, page
49) about the Jewish migration
to Novi-Northville.
A noteworthy Northville com-
munity Jewish member who
wasn't mentioned is my son
Ken Roth. He is in his second
term on the Northville Board
of Education, currently serving
as president. He is also liaison
for the school board to the
Northville Parks and Recreation
Department.
Rose Roth
Bloomfield Hills
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